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Karmic Comeuppance?

Did I sound a bit flippant about The Violet Hold? It DID seem easy to me, and so maybe the gods at Blizzard, all-knowing and all-sensing, figured that I was due for a little bit of a confidence adjustment.

This week, I got it, the second time my random sent me there.

I’d just ported into the instance, and was looking at my bags for the right elixir, when suddenly I realized that the group was in the door, and it was SHUTTING on me! Not familiar enough with the instance to know that I just needed to click on the NPC in the hall, I frantically asked in party chat what had happened??? Someone got back to me that I needed to just talk to the NPC, but not before the tank started taking damage. Serious damage. As I clicked on the NPC and he kicked me toward the door with a reproving glare, I watched my tank die.

Thinking that all might be well, I could rez the tank and we could continue to an easy finish, I was hopeful as I was transported inside. Unfortunately, where they dropped me when I passed through the door, was right on top of an enemy, whom I quickly angered with my presence, setting off, well, you know the scenario…….healer and dps desperately try to stay alive, but eventually everyone ends up dead. If I weren’t so shaken by the earlier experience, I most likely could have switched over to dps mode, and it could have been fine, but I was just too thrown by the series of preceding events.

As a side note, this kind of situation reminds me of how much I like inexperienced or difficult groups, where the tank is hard to keep alive, or the dps are taking serious damage regularly. They might be difficult to survive, but BOY, do they help you to develop more reflexive use of less basic skills, such as rapidly switching from heal mode to dps mode, or, perhaps, using some of those myriad of holy spells that are only called for once in a blue moon until (I’m guessing) you’re a serious raider. I love a challenging group, learned more in one night trying to keep a really weak group (including me) alive in Scholomance than in all the smooth runs I’d ever had with a higher-level guildie running through with little danger. We never made it through Scholo, the instance timer ran out, lol, but I was a MUCH better healer after that instance. I have actually considered advertising in trade or the LFG channel for an inexperienced or undergeared tank at my level, so that I could have someone to build skills with….picture that ad “not-so-experienced healer LF mediocre tank…..bad gear and poor aggro maintenance preferred, PST.”

Unfortunately, the rest of the group was under the impression that once you wipe in Violet Hold, there is no way to get back in, and so people left, the group disbanded, and I was left with my ghost, wondering what to do. I discovered that just like any other instance, you simply head right back to the entrance, and you CAN get back inside. So, I could have redeemed myself with a decent heal, if folks had stuck around. I did have enough time to get in a quick “sooooooo sorrrry guys!!!” before folks left the group, so hopefully there aren’t a few players out there harboring ill-will toward Goldslipper for ruining their random that morning.

Gods of Blizzard, wherever you are, all-knowing and all-sensing, your karmic message has been noted, and I’ve been appropriately humbled.